Glass-pot furnace.



'N e9|,25o. 'Patented 1an. I4, |902.

H. L. nlxuN.

'IGLASS POT FUBNACE.

(Application filed June 4, 1901.1

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(llo Nudel.)

i wess-as Patented 1an. I4, |902.

H. L. mxoN. GL'ASS POT FURNACE.

(Application led June 4, 1901.!

2 Sheets-Shadi 2.

(No Model.)

m. .ww o.

INVENTOR TH: Nonms mans ou.. wow-Limo.. wnmcvom uc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. DIXON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

GLASS-POT FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,250, dated January14, 1902.

Serial No. 63,088. (.No model.)

To all whom it' may concern;

Be it known that I, HENRY L. DIXON, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulGlass-Pot Furnace, of which the following is a full,clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of myimproved regenerative furnace, partly on the line I I of Fig. 2. Fig. 2is a longitudinal section on the irregular line II II of Fig. 1. Figs. 3and et are cross-sections on the lines Ill III and IV IV, respectively,of Fig. 1.

My invention relates to glass-pot furnaces wherein a regenerativeheating system is employed, and is designed to cheapen and improve theconstruction of such furnaces and increase their capacity and, further,to facilitate the applying of the regenerative heating system to oldfurnaces..

Heretofore in regenerative pot-furnaces the inlet and outlet ports forthe gases and products have been located at opposite sides of thefurnace near the side walls, and for this reason the number of potswhich could be used in a furnace was reduced by this location of theports, a sixteen-pot furnace accommodatin g only fourteen pots, with theconsequent decrease in capacity. This arrangement of the ports wasdeemed necessary on the theory that if the inlet and outlet ports shouldbe arranged nearer to each other the gases would short-circuit, and thuspass out without efficient extraction of their heat. In applying thisregenerative system to an old furnace it was necessary to tear theentire furnace down and rebuild it. Myinvention overcomes thesedifficulties and enables the full number of pots to be used. It is basedupon the fact which I have found in practice that the draft or outletflue simply relieves the excess pressure in the furnace and that hencethere is no short-circuiting of the gases where the inlet and outletiiues are closely adjacent. In these furnaces the dampers in thestack-flue are always adjusted to prevent any sucking out of the gasesfrom the furnace, since otherwise the furnace Will become chilled. Theresult, therefore, is that the carbonio-acid gas and products ofcombustion settle over the iioor of the furnace-chamber, and as theheated products rise from the ports they expand rapidly and fill theentire chamber. The entering gases consequently burn and spreadthroughout the upper part ofthe chamber, from Which they descend to theoutlet-ports. My invention is based upon this fact; and it consists inplacing the regenerative ports inside the lines of the pots, thusallowing the full number of pots to be used. It further consists inassembling the regenerative iiues within the cave used in these furnacesand extending transversely beneath the furnace Ona diameter thereof, andalso in the construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinaftermore fully described,

and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, 2 represents a pot-furnace of the ordinary form andarranged to contain an annular row of pots on the bench 3.

` The regenerators which I employ are located exteriorly to the furnace,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and these regenerators may be arranged in anydesired manner to preheat the air or combustible gases, or both, thoughI prefer the arrangement shown. In this form 4 4 are air-regenerators,and 5 5 gas-regenerators. The gas-supply flues 6 6 lead to the pointa;where the ordinary reversing-valve is located, and similarly theair-supply fines 7 7 lead to the point y Where the air-valve is used.

The set of regenerators covers a space much Wider than the tunnelbeneath the furnace, and the iiues connecting these rcgenerators to thefurnace-ports consequently extendin- Wardly and toward each other,andthe air and gas flues are preferably arranged one above the other Withinthe tunnel. Thus in Fig. 1 8 8 are the air-inlet ports, and 9 9 thegas-inlet ports, these being used alternately in the usual manner. Theconnecting-fines 10 eX tend horizontally through the tunnel to thegas-inlet ports and connect with the upper -part of the gas-regeneratorsthro ugh lues 11,

located between the bridge-wall12 and the front of the regenerativechamber. The gassupply flue 6 leads into the lower part of theregenerator and is shown in Fig. 2.

The air-lues 7 lead directly into the air-regenerators, and theconnecting-fines 13 con- IOO 10 and thence lead to the center of the furnace, Where they communicate through side openings with the air-inletdues at the outer sides of the gas-inlets.

The vertical portions 14 of the inlet-fines are provided withblind-openings 15, which lead into the tunnel beneath the slag-hole 16.As the blocks Wear down at the top of the ports 8 and 9 any glass thatruns down into these ports may thus be taken out through theseblind-openings.

The furnace is operated in the usual manner, the damper 17 of stack-fine18 being regulated so as to keep a pressure in the furnacechamber in theusual Way. The heated air and gases entering the furnace burn and spreadthroughout the chamber,and the products pass 4off through the other setof regenerators through the chimney, the direction of the gases beingreversed, as desired.

To prevent the dame from the regeneratorports from overheating thenearest pots, VI preferably employ shade-Walls 19 at the ends of theports and between them and the adjacent pots. l

In order to keep the floor 20 above the regenerators cool for theWorkmen, I provide an air-space 2l between it and the tops 0f theregenerative chambers, as shown in Fig. 4. Air circulates through thisinsulating-space and keeps the door comparatively cool.

The advantages of my invention How from the location of theregenerator-ports Within the lines of the pots, and more specificallyfrom the external regenerative system, with the compact arrangement ofthe dues leading into the furnace through the ordinarytunnel. The systemis easily applied to an old furnace and is cheaper to build than theordinary regenerative pot-furnace. A compact arrangement is afforded,While the output of the furnace is increased by allowing the full numberof pots to be used. v

AV circular, elliptical, or rectangular furnace may be used, and theregenerators may be located at opposite sides of the furnace or directlybeneath it, and many other changes maybe made in the form andarrangement of the regenerators, their connections, and the other partsof the furnace Without departing from my invention.

I claim* 1. A regenerative glass-pot furn'acehavlng two separated portsopening into the furnacechamber,a line of pots surrounding said ports,regenerators having dues connected to the ports,and1n1echanism forreversing the direction of flow through the regenerators, ports, andfurnace; substantially as described.

2. A regenerative glass-pot furnace having a plurality of ports openinginto the furnacechamber, arow of pots surrounding said ports,regenerators each having a flue leading to one of said ports and alsoarranged to be con- 'nected to an outlet-flue, and valve mechanism forreversing the flow of gases through said regenerators, ports andfurnace; substantially as described.

3. A regenerative glass-pot furnace having four ports opening into thefurnace-chamber, a row of pots surrounding the ports, four regenerators,each having a connection to one of said ports, and also a connectionleading to a stack-flue, said regenerators being arranged in pairs andhaving suitable Agas and air connections, and mechanism for reversingthe flow through the pairs of regenerators, their connections at thefurnace; substantially as described.

4. A regenerative glass-pot furnace having a plurality of ports openinginto the furnacechamber, a roW of pots surrounding the ports,regenerators exterior to the furnace and each having connections to oneof said ports, and mechanism for reversing the direction of the flowthrough said regenerators, ports and furnace; substantially asdescribed.

5. A regenerativepot-furnace having four ports opening into thefurnace-chamber, a row of pots surrounding said ports, four regeneratorsexternal to the furnace, fines leading from the regenerators to the furnace-ports and arranged in pairs one above the other,

and mechanism for reversing the direction of the iow through saidregenerators, the ports, and furnace; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY L. DIXON.

Witnesses:

H. M. CORWIN, GEO. B. BLEMING.

